The Months of Mayhem
by GoldenGirl
Summary: Future fic. SS. Lots of times, young married couples end up in problems that can destroy their marriage. Seth and Summer are no exception, but something unexpected brings them back together again.
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: The Months of Mayhem AUTHOR: GoldenGirl DISCLAIMER: I do not own the O.C. Please don't sue me. PAIRING: S/S SPOILERS: None. RATING: PG- 13 SUMMARY: Lots of times, young married couples ending up in problems that can destroy their marriage and Seth and Summer are no different, but something unexpected brings them back together again. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This first chapter may seems a little ambiguous but it's no fun telling it all right at the begging. The threads to this fic will be clearer later on. Hope you like it and check back for another update. With that said, enjoy! ---  
  
Seth looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror of his hotel room and sighed audibly, running a hand through his lightly gelled hair. He was fully dressed now and the time was quickly passing but he was still not ready to go. Not ready to go down one flight of stairs and accompany his wife to dinner. Especially if it was dinner at his parent's house. Especially if they were going to be required to speak to them and each other. But arriving late was only going to make matters worse and so he shut the light and grabbed his room key before heading out the door.  
  
Summer was perched at the corner of her bed, crossing and uncrossing her legs waiting for Seth to get his but over there. To the untrained eye she may have looked patient but, really, who was she kidding? Summer had not been patient a day in her life. The fact that she had made her father travel to Japan on a trip to China when she was 15 to get her a handbag that was not going to distributed in America for another six months was not only a prime example of how spoiled she was but also of the level of her impatience. The fact that she was born three weeks earlier than expected was another testament. Or that she eloped with Cohen instead of waiting it out a few more months for a real wedding. One where she would have hours to think it through and eventually talk herself out of it instead of a ceremony that lasted about three minutes and concluded with Elvis handing them 20 dollars worth of chips.  
  
But that was a long time ago and Summer did not like to dwell on the past. All she could think of now was that 15 minutes had gone by since the time he told her he'd pick her up. 15 minutes she was counting on in order to have some much needed words with her husband. That conversation would have to wait for another time though, since they were late for the dinner being thrown in their honor.  
  
"Finally," she grumbled under her breath as she heard a knock at the door. She stood up and opened it, seeing Seth with his arm outstretched to take hers.  
  
"Summer. You look great," he said, studdying her. Her hair was impeccably straight, parted on the side and hanging slightly above her bust. Her make-up was flawless, as always, giving her face a healthy bronze glow and her eyes a smokey touch that was just the right level of sultry and absolutely elegant. She wore a silk, dark pink blouse unbuttoned for the first few buttons and tucked in to a black pencil skirt that ended right above her knees. Seth admired the way she could put herself together to present herself as a completely respectable young woman when going to see his parents yet manage to look totally sexy in the process. 'You look great' was an understatement if ever there was one  
  
"Whatever Cohen, we're late." She stormed past him and headed for the elevator.  
  
Summer seldom called him 'Cohen' anymore. Partly because she was a Cohen herself now and it mixed her up considerably but also because she used to call him that back when they were in high school. And that was back when she despised Seth Cohen. And so Seth had good reason to frown as he followed her into the elevator.  
  
The drive to his old house had not lifted the melancholy mood that enveloped them both. In fact, they hadn't spoken a word to each other ever since they had entered the rented vehicle.  
  
"I think it's probably best we at least pretend to be cordial with each other when we get there," Seth stated, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him yet carefully watching Summer in his peripheral vision. "Cuz, you know, otherwise they might feel a slight chill when you walk in."  
  
"Don't worry about me. Have I ever disappointed you in front of your parents?"  
  
Seth opened his mouth to answer but was quickly shut down by Summer. "Don't answer that!" she spat.  
  
"Hey now, no need to get angry. We're going to try to be happy tonight, ok? Happy." he turned to her and grinned wider than he had all month. "See my smile? Happy smile. Can you give me a happy smile?"  
  
She sprang her head in his direction and gave him the evil eye instead. A look that made his spine chill with fear and one he was quite used to being the recipient of as her husband. He tried to remember if she had given him the evil eye the night they split up nearly a month ago but all he remembered were tears and lots of screaming. Actually he remembered a lot more than that and analyzed even the smallest of details from the argument that ended their relationship, it's just that he really tried to forget.  
  
But forgetting was hard.  
  
Especially now that Summer sat beside him looking anywhere but into his eyes. He knew her so well that he could see her sadness disguised as catty anger. It made him more depressed than he already was. He slouched against the seat and sighed, unable to scrape th thought of that night from his mind.  
  
He couldn't even recall how their argument had started. Like countless others it was probably about something trivial. If it hadn't deranged off course so harshly it probably could've ended like all the others; dead and buried under the covers after a night of unbelievable make up sex.  
  
But that night was different. They yelled at each other- really yelled at each other and never backed down, not until the sound of the door slamming silenced them both. Summer was prone to yelling- she had thrown tantrums since the moment she opened her mouth- but he never yelled which is why he still couldn't wrap his head around their argument. He said some things that surprised even him and they had definitely surprised Summer. He new that cuz she had cried and answered back by spewing equally hurtful things.  
  
But the things they said about each other weren't merely hurtful, they were hateful. And as much as seth wanted to take those things back and hoped Summer would too, it hadn't happened yet.  
  
And then she said what would eventually end the argument. She said she wanted a divorce. And Seth, lashing out in a bitter rage, happily obliged. And he knew that that surprised Summer because she was stunned silent. It was then that she opened the front door and dashed out. A few minutes later Seth chased after her but she was already out of sight so he decided to drown out his sorrows in a bar. When he came back home a few hours later most of her stuff was gone. Seth hadn't heard from her in nearly a month. Just a few days earlier.  
  
The last thing Summer wanted to do was speak to her soon to be ex-husband, she would have to eventually but even that would be too soon. Unfortunately, she had no choice when she saw her very own mother-in-law in the canned goods aisle in the supermarket. Quite the serendipitous occasion fate brought forth, placing both Mrs. Cohens in a supermarket together as if either of them knew how to cook.  
  
Never the less, Summer played the role of the consummate daughter-in-law to a T and ran to hug Kirsten when she saw her about to execute the same affectionate tackle.  
  
"Summer! I didn't know you were in town!" "Oh, it was all last minute, really," her faux perkiness was in full swing as they embraced. "I'm here to visit my sick grandmother. She's in the hospital."  
  
She knew she was good at lying but she didn't know she was that good.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What's the matter?" "Stroke."  
  
Summer instantly felt guilty as she saw the pained expression on Kirsten's face. She hated lying to her since she was really the only mother she'd ever liked. Her real mother abandoned her when she was young, her step mother was always too busy at the bottom of a prescription pill bottle, and Kirsten, her mother-in-law had always been there for her.  
  
Summer remembered the day the day she and Seth came back from Vegas with rings on their fingers and she was actually scared of facing his parents. Her parents would scold her for getting married so damn young and she was sure Seth's would too. And, sure, they were surprised....well, actually, they where in complete and utter shock, but Kirsten took her aside after everything calmed down a bit and welcomed her to the family. And as if Summer couldn't already feel it, Kirsten told her she would love her like her own daughter.  
  
She didn't feel like a very good daughter lying to the only mom she really ever loved, but there was no way she was going to let her know about her separation with Seth. Not till it was official.  
  
"I'm so sorry to hear that," she said, somberly. Summer nodded her head and pulled a few strands of hair that had fallen from her high pony tail behind her ear. "Is Seth with you?" Kirsten went on, instinctively looking down the aisle for her son.  
  
"Seth? No, he's still in New York. You know how he hates to miss school." That wasn't a total lie. Seth had never missed a day of school since his first day there. In fact he was probably being pelted with chalk by his over-zealous students as they spoke. "Really? I'm surprised he wouldn't accompany you for something like this." "Oh, it's no big deal- he's flying over for the weekend." What?! she asked herself. She was almost home free but she had to go on and let her big mouth blab on.  
  
"Great! You two can come over for dinner Saturday night!" "That sounds fantastic!" Along with lying, Summer was also terrific at acting, so why not just utilize all her talents at the same time.  
  
For that reason, and that reason only, Summer had contacted Seth. They both agreed not to tell his parents a thing about their unofficial separation and Seth promptly flew over as soon as school let out for the weekend.  
  
And now they found themselves parked in the Cohen driveway, sitting in the still car waiting for one or the other to get out first.  
  
"Don't look so sad," Seth said, somberly. "You'll only have to spend one last night by my side." Summer shook her head and sighed. "In that case there is something I should tell you." Seth looked at her and let his eyes demand her to continue. "I'm pregnant." Summer opened the car door and stepped out, leaving a stunned Seth frozen in his seat. --- TBC 


	2. The Big News

Thanks for the reviews everyone. :) ---  
  
She was almost at the top of the front steps before Seth stepped out of the car in a frenzie and started chasing after her as if someone started a stop watch.  
  
"You're what?!" he shouted across the way, unable to hide his dumbfounded shock.  
  
Summer expected him to be a bit surprisd. Actually, she expected him to start rambling in some unintelligable jibrish before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted right there on the pavement, a few feet from his home. Considering that, this reaction was actually pretty tame.  
  
"Ho could you be- oh my God," he said, bounding up the steps behind her. "I thought we-- You cant just, oh my God, I cant believe-- and we're not even, Dear God, you're what?!"  
  
She spoke too soon.  
  
Seth's eyes began rolling to the back of his head and Summer actually had to grab his arm as his balance began to sway.  
  
"Get a grip, Cohen," she demanded.  
  
Seth grabbed the railing on the porch and did what he was told. He regained his composure somewhat and turned his gaze to Summer in time to witness one of her famous eye rollings. He must have looked like a real wuss to her right now, hardly being able to breath and all but how could she possibly expect him to 'get a grip' as she put it so elequently. Summer was PREGNANT!  
  
"Summer....," he took a deep breath, ".....you're PREGNANT!"  
  
"Yeah," she answered simply.  
  
"Why did't you tell me?"  
  
"I'm telling you now."  
  
"You had to wait for me to fly to California to tell me?"  
  
"Listen Seth-"  
  
"No Summer, you listen," he interupted her. Only to be interupted himself. Soon their conversation turned into an interuption fest with no sentence leaving either of their mouths being complete. It was at the peak of their argument the door swung open to reveal Sandy Cohen on the other side of it.  
  
"We thought we heard the two of you out here."  
  
They abruptly stopped whatever it was they were in middle of saying and turned to face Mr. Cohen, broad 'happy smiles' on full display.  
  
"Hi Sandy!"  
  
"Hi Dad!"  
  
They exclaimed simoltaneously.  
  
Unfortunately for Seth, there was no time pull Summer away and continue to interupt each other. In no time they were already seated in the livingroom with Kirsten and Sandy Cohen along with the other guests, Ryan and his new girlfriend Bridget, discussing a wide range of topics. The weather, his parent's jobs, the happings of Newport, Ryan's satisfactory work in school and Summer's growing buisness, though he didnt partake in any of those discussions.  
  
Talking would have to come later since all Seth could do was fight the urge to speak. Just simple words to fill the vacant air around him but he knew too well that if he were to break his silent bout and was forced to speak at any moment that evening he wouldnt be able to keep from blabbing the nws to anyone who would listen. And he understood only one thing from the explosive "conversation" he and Summer had just had on the porch; not to tell anyone the news.  
  
Summer was having a relatively easy time keeping the announcemet at bay. It was amazing how many words were flowing out of her mouth without any of them being "baby" or "pregnancy." She kept Seth's parents completely engrossedd in conversation without them noticing his alarming silence.  
  
'How could she be so cool about everything?' was the prevailing thought in Seth's brain that popped up more than all the others. 'She's not even the least bit phased, she doesnt even care.' He chuggd another gulp from his wine glass and nodded amicably at something his mother said. Summer threw her head back laughed, careful not to spill the contents of her wine glass. It still remained filled to the brim, untouched since Sandy handed it to her. Quite an unusual sight for Seth, who hadnt noticed she hadnt taken a sip since they got there. Then he remembered that pregnant women didnt drink because they didnt want their babies to be born drunk or somethig like that.  
  
And that's when he realized he wasn't simply staring at Summer, he was staring at a pregnant Summer. A pregnant Summer that wasnt drinking because she was thinking about her baby. Their baby. Seth wiped the thought of her indifference from his mind and grabbed the crystal bottle on the coffee table that held the water. He poured a glass and handed it to her as his father yammered on about something or other. she put her wine glass down and accepted it, muttering "thanks" under her breath and nobody seemed to notice. Except for Ryan who had been looking at Seth ever since he arrived, immediately detecting something amiss. After all, he was the only one who was allowed to stay quiet all night long.  
  
Ryan stood from the love seat sofa he and Bridget were sitting on and discreetly walked over to where Seth sat.  
  
"If you'll excuse us," Ryan stated, addressing the crowd. "Seth and I need to talk."  
  
A surprised but eager Seth nearly jumped out of his seat at the promise that he would be able to speak. He did not escape the glance that Summer shot him, the one that said to 'keep his mouth shut or she would find a way to make him sorry.' Seth was prone to reading her glances by now and fed her one of his own. it read 'don't worry about a thing,' 'everything is under control' and 'please don't kill me.'  
  
Once Ryan got Seth into the bathroom, he watched as he finished off his glass and placed it at the corner of the sink. Aside from being quiet, the constant drinking was starting to worry Ryan who had never expected Seth to actually bring his drink into the bathroom. He wasn't going to let him pull a Marissa without telling him what was going on.  
  
He figured Summer was the cause of this self imposed silence though they played up the happily married facade pretty well, considering they were about to get a divorce. Being Seth's best friend, he was the only person besides the estranged couple privvy to that information. He confined all of his mind's musings into a typical Ryan Atwood nearly monosylabic question;  
  
"So you and Summer......?"  
  
"No," Seth cut him off. "We are not back together."  
  
Cutting around all other obvious questions, Ryan did what he did best and got to the point. "You're going to have to tell your parents sooner or later."  
  
"You know I meant to- since you'd think that would be pretty big news- but no, theres bigger news, which totally squashes that other news into oblivion." Ryan let his eyes ask the question that was on his lips. "Summer's pregnant," Seth blurted out. He picked up his glass, forgetting that there was nothing left to drink in it any more, but still tried to drip some last few drops into his mouth.  
  
"Oh my God," Ryan responded. It was a rare occasion when he expressed any sort of emotion when it didnt include a fist to someone's face or a physically intimate action to share with a girlfriend. He leaned over and hugged Seth, surprising him in the embrace. "That's amazing."  
  
Even though it was a rather simple exclamation of joy, Seth understood it as the equivelance of the joy a kid would experience in, say, a candy store. The ear to ear grin on ryan's face made him smirk despite of himself at the thought he hadnt allowed himself to think since he recieved the news. He was going to be a dad. It was crazy.  
  
And now that he thought of it a bit longer, it was scary.  
  
"Okay clearly you've forgotten the first part of this conversation. The one where I said Summer and I werent getting back together."  
  
"Oh," Ryan said, simply. He let a moment pass before he added "so why are you two splitting up again?"  
  
Seth shrugged and leaned back against the sink. That was the million dollar question that Seth couldn't answer, mainly because he didnt know the reason himself.  
  
"It's complicated," he mutterred. "Lets change the subject. Bridget seems nice."  
  
"Yeah, she's--"  
  
"I'm not going to be able to keep my mouth shut all night, you know," Seth interupted Ryan. "This is big news, this is huge news! I've got to let my parents know. If nothing else just to see the look on their faces when they find out they're going to be the youngest grandparents on the block, maybe in all of Newport!" He giggled nervously. "They're going to freak out."  
  
"Then tell them."  
  
"Summer'll kill me."  
  
"Then don't tell them."  
  
"You're not very good at giving advice, are you?"  
  
Ryan shrugged.  
  
Returning to the livingrrom, Seth had already made up his mind. He was going to tell his parents the news....even if that meant death by Summer. Everyone was pretty much ready to comence with the dinner but Seth announced that he needed to divulge some news first.  
  
"News?" Kirsten asked. "Well, what is it?"  
  
"News?" Summer echoed. "There's no news."  
  
"Sure there is," Seth continued, ignoring Summer's peircing gaze. "Actually, Mom, Dad, Summer's--"  
  
"Seth, let me tell it," Summer interupted him, surprising him enough to let her do it. " "The news Seth is talking about is that the new line of make-up is going to be carried in Bloomingdales this sseason."  
  
"What make-up line?" Bridget asked from her spot next to Ryan. "Summer and her friend Marissa Cooper have their own cosmetics line," Kisten answered. "It's small but, Bloomingdales, wow. That's great, Summer. I'm really proud of you."  
  
Summer loved moments like this. Moments when no one could deny her sucess. At first no one believe in her idea, except for Marissa of course who had nothing better to do than start a make-up line. Seth would occasionally give her the supportive pat on the back and console her as if the buisness was already six feet under or something but whatever, the jokes on him. Projected sales showed that by next year her little buisness would bring in a hell of a lot more money than his measily teaching salary did. And there wasnt anything anyone could say about that.  
  
"Maybe you've heard of it,"  
  
Except when Seth said what he was about to say now.  
  
"Summarissa Cosmetics," he finished the sentance in a stifled chuckle.  
  
So maybe the name was a little weird but Summer liked it, heck she came up with it. And Marissa liked it to. Granted, Marissa was drunk as a sailer when Summer had suggeted it and started to despise the name after a while.....a while being the the day after hr hangover, but it was too late by then. Summer had made her decision and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.  
  
"Summarissa?!" Bridget asked. "They make my favorite lip gloss?! Glossy vixen- I'm wearing it right now? Gee I can't believe you make that?!"  
  
Seth stopped marvaling at the fact that Bridget finished every sentance in quetion form long enough to drape his arm over his wife's shoulder. The wine he had drunk so greedily earlier that evening was finally getting to his head. "That's my wife, glossing up vixens all over the world! I'm so proud." He planted a wet kiss on her cheek and Summer had to fight the disguted expression that was creeping up her face.  
  
"I'm not the only one to be proud of," she said through a plastered smile. "What about you Seth?"  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"Well," she spoke to his parents in particular. "Seth's been named one of the top five teachers to take for an easy A. It was in the aschool newspaper."  
  
Seth coughed awkwardlt and removed his arm from Summer's shoulder, tugging at the ends of his shirt and scratching the back of his neck. A nervous tick that reassured Summer her plan to get even for nearly spilling the beans was working.  
  
"Honey, that's not important news." It was down right embaressing.  
  
"If it's not important than why is the article framed and mounted on the kitchen wall back home?"  
  
"You've got to understand how hard life is for these kids," he spoke to his parents defensively. "They've already got so much to worry about without wondering whether or not they're going to do well enough to keep from falling back a grade. These kids are from the hood! Do you know what it's like growing up in the hood? Do you? Theres guns and knives and hip hop- dear God the hip hop." he sighed and shook his head in despair. "See, I'm just trying to help them out."  
  
Summer couldn't believe his shameful attempt to win sympathy from his parents. It always worked and this time was no exception. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen looked positively worried about the little hoodlums in his class, probably thinking of all the ways they could bring some home and adopt them ala Ryan Atwood. Besides,the only reason Seth let them off easy was because he was probably afraid the little thugs would gang-bang him or something.  
  
"Well I do know what it was like growing up on the streets." And before curious little Bridget could ask, Sandy turned to her and exclaimed; "I'm originally from the Bronx. "And I gotta say I'm proud of you, son. Thinking of those kids the way you do, it's really great."  
  
"Thanks dad," Seth answered, modestly.  
  
"Sorry to cut all of this short but the food's getting cold," Ryan said, standing up.  
  
Everyone followed suit and agreed it was time to comence with the dinner.  
  
"Also," Seth spoke up once they were all standing. "Summer and I are gonna have a baby."  
  
Summer froze in her spot, her mouth agape, which was the look of the moment considering Kirsten and Sandy looked the same way. Summer stared at Seth like she couldnt believe what she had just heard but Seth didnt care, he was happy. He smiled. And he waited for his parents to do something besides stare at eachother in complete shock.  
  
"You're having a baby?" Kirsten whispered as if the news was too grand to say out loud.  
  
"Mmhmm," Seth said, grinning. Summer couldn't do anything but reluctantly nod her head in agreement.  
  
"Oh my God," she contined. In just a moment the room erupted in cheer and frenzied hugs and kisses. Ryan got in on the action even though he'd already heard the news and huggeed Summer once Kirsten was done with her, kissing her on the cheek. He shook Seth's hand and gave him another conradulatory pat on the back. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ryan asked.  
  
"Nope, that comes later." 


	3. The Restless Rooms

The Restless Rooms

  


"I can't believe it," Kirsten stated as she entered the bed Sandy was already sitting in. "Our baby's having a baby of his own."

  


A couple of hours had passed since she first heard thee news but it was still as unbelievable as ever.

  


"Seth isn't a baby anymore, honey. He's a grown man." Sandy, however, had gotten over it pretty quickly. Sure it was an important announcement but he let it roll off his back like water and watched as his wife made herself crazy over it for the both of them.

  


"Barely."

  


"We were young when we had him." 

  


"Yes but we..... we were different."

  


Sandy looked up from the book he was reading. "If you're saying we were more mature than I beg to differ. Seth's got a good head on his shoulders. And so does Summer."

  


"She was awfully hesitant at dinner, did you notice that?"

  


"Hesitant?"

  


"Yeah, about telling us anything- and Seth was..."

  


"He was excited," Sandy completed the sentence for her. "Summer was probably just nervous."

  


"If she was anything like me when I was pregnant with Seth, she must be scared out of her mind."

  


"Nah," Sandy shrugged. "She'll be fine."

  


"Well, whatever the case I'm glad they both agreed to stay over tonight. It'll give me some time to talk to Summer before she and Seth go back to New York."

  


"Don't worry about them so much, Kirsten. They'll be good parents."

  


"Yeah," Kirsten agreed as she tucked herself in beside Sandy. "They'll be good parents," she echoed trying to convince herself of the statement.  
***

  


Summer hated this room. The dim, cozy color, the familiar welcoming smell, and especially the memories it rekindled in her mind. Like the time Seth brought her to this room to finally consummate her relationship but claimed he couldn't perform in front of that stupid toy horse he was disturbingly fond of. Pretty soon Summer herself couldn't steer clear of Captain Oats's accusing glare and out of frustration she threw the damned thing out the window. Seth was so distraught by the action that after recovering the horse from the pool he didn't really feel like doing much of anything with her. 

  


That wasn't the only reason Summer hated the room, there was that time she came here looking for Solace and found it in the form of Seth Cohen. She couldn't remember what it was she was so upset about now but she did remember sitting on the bed and crying on Seth's shoulder. Actually crying, with tears streaming from her eyes and her mascara and nose running, into his shoulder. Summer never cried and it was precisely why it was one of her worst memories among many. She hated being vulnerable and she blamed Cohen and this room for making her that way.

  


And she also hated this room because it was the one she was destined to share with Seth that evening after he accepted to spend the night on behalf of both of them. An unbearable dinner was to be followed by what was sure to be unbearable night with her estranged husband. 

Although things were going better than she thought since she had been able to avoid speaking to him ever since they left the dinner.

Up until she saw Seth pull aside the blanket and begin to climb into bed.

  


"What are you doing?" Summer snapped.

  


Seth's head shot up in surprise when he heard Summer actually speak- and to him no less. "I'm going to bed."

  


"Why?"

  


"Because you're in such a good mood I wanna get a good night's rest to assure the best possible time with you tomorrow."

  


"I meant why are you getting into the bed?"

  


"Cuz it's my bed. It says so in the carving in the bedpost."

  


"Uh uh, I'm sleeping in the bed. You get the floor."

  


"Can't we both share the bed?"

  


"I don't want to share anything with you right now." Summer climbed into the bed and scooted all the way to Seth's side so he would be unable to get in himself. Seth couldn't do anything but stand and watch as Summer squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to wipe Seth from her vision and mind. 

  


"Why are you so mad at me? Did I really do anything wrong?"

  


It was obviously the wrong question to ask since it resulted in Summer sprinting into a sitting position and forgetting all desires to sleep. There seemed to be a million answers on the tip of her tongue as she looked at Seth incredulously but she chose to stick with the most prominent one in her mind.

"Did you do anything wrong? You did the one thing I asked you not to do, Seth! Why did you tell your parents? Couldn't you wait just a little bit longer till we talked about it ourselves first?"

  


"Since you're so eager to talk to me these days I woulda thought you would've called me at least once but that never happened now did it."

  


"I would've called you. You're just so impatient."

  


"Well forgive me if I wanted to be in the know about my own unborn child. Tell you what, I won't bother you about it again."

  


"You won't have to after that unbearable dinner we just had. I couldn't chew one piece of food without being asked how far along I am or if I know the sex or whether or not I'd consider the name Bridget if it's a girl!"

  


"So you understand how curious a person could be about a matter like this."

  


"Yes. And if you only waited to talk to me in private you wouldn't have had to sit there being just as curious as everyone else and unable to answer any of the questions yourself!"

  


Seth still couldn't comprehend why Summer was so angry. Everything she said meant that he was the one with the bad end of the deal, not her. He was the baby's own father and he knew practically nothing about it except what he learned at dinner that night. That Summer was 9 weeks pregnant, that it was too early to tell the sex and that she'd keep 'Bridget' in mind if it was a girl. 

  


It was the only information he had and he would've asked for more but as he looked into Summer's eyes he realized not to risk the chance of letting his questions remain unanswered once they left his lips. Grabbing the pillow that was laying unused beside her head, Seth walked to the foot of the bed and tossed it down onto the floor.

  


"We'll talk when we go back to the city," Seth said as he lay on the carpeted floor. 

  


"I'm not going back to New York."

  


Seth kept his eyes on the ceiling as the words escaped Summer's mouth. He could sense her eyes wide open and her ears perked waiting for him to say something in response. Seth didn't feel like talking anymore.

***

  


The refrigerator light was the only thing illuminating Summer when Kirsten walked into the kitchen to find her immersed in the box, searching for something appetizing.

  


"Can't sleep or just hungry?" She asked, surprising Summer.

"Both."

  


"I know what that's like," Kirsten said as she took a seat by the island. "I remember being sleepy all the time yet never finding a comfortable position to sleep in. Has that been happening to you a lot?"

  


Summer shrugged indifferently. "Not really." 

She didn't like talking about these things too much. It was all new and strange and made her feel weak for some reason. Up until now Marissa was the only person who asked questions like the one Kirsten was asking now. Her best friend had known about her pregnancy about two minutes after Summer found out herself and had since then begun educating herself on all matters regarding pregnancy and new moms. Summer knew everything she needed to know only because Marissa was constantly spewing quotes from parenting and pregnancy books. She didn't ask why Marissa had become so interested in all of this but she was thankful nonetheless. 

"Just tonight, I guess," she continued.

  


"No wonder I saw Seth sleeping on the floor when I went to check in on the two of you."

  


Summer's eyes bulged of their own volition. "Oh yeah," shr stammered. "He offered to sleep on the floor cuz I wasn't....comfortable."

  


"Well I'm glad he did that for you."

  


"He's great."

  


"Sandy always tried to help me in whatever way he could when I was pregnant with Seth but he didn't understand what I was going through. I know you must feel a bit scared by all of this and Seth will always be by your side but if you ever need someone to talk to or just be there to listen, I hope you know you can always come to me."

  


No, Seth wouldn't be by her side and Summer was content with his replacement, Coop. But all the books in the world couldn't tell Marissa what it was like. She had never experienced it before, not like Kirsten.

  


"I know." 

***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. The Ride

Ryan was so deep in thought in front of the large open book before him that he didn't notice everyone else in the library staring at him until he looked up briefly for a moment. The scattered annoyed glances he was receiving shook him out of his reverie long enough to realize that his cell phone was ringing so loud it was disturbing everyone's studies but his, ironically. He quickly retrieved it from his bag and set it on vibrate mode but the consistent hum of the vibrations was beginning to annoy even him. He looked at the name blaring across the front of his phone and rolled his eyes as he reluctantly answered it.

  


"Yes?" he asked.

"Well hello to you too."

"Summer, is this important? I'm kind of in the middle of something." His eyes peeked through his thick blonde bangs to see if his hushed tone of voice was bothering anyone around him. So far the glares were being kept to a minimum.

"Would I call you if it wasn't?"

Ryan stopped to think about it for a moment. "No." 

  


"I need you to do me a small favor," she went on.

"Right now?" he whispered. "I'm busy."

"Well stop boning that bimbo girlfriend of yours for just a minute--"

"I'm not boning anybody!" he cut her off in an unexpected raised voice that caused the entire first floor of the library to look his way and Ryan's cheeks inevitably began to redden. 

He stood up, leaving his books and bag at the table and left the hall to go speak in the much more volume liberated lobby. 

  


"I need you to pick me up."

"Pick you up?"

"Yeah. I just spent all of my money shopping and I don't have enough cash for a cab and they won't accept credit cards and I've got a bunch of stuff and I can't carry it all." Summer spoke quickly in a run-on sentence hoping she included everything needed to convince Ryan to agree to help her. She needed to buy new clothes since most of her wardrobe was still in New York and her current selection was beginning to bore her, not to mention feel snug. A feeling Summer was desperately trying to accommodate.

  


Though Ryan would normally be quick to help anyone in need, there was just something about helping Summer that was a bit off-putting to him. He never especially enjoyed being alone with her since he didn't really get her and he assumed she didn't get him either. The way she spoke, the things she said, her so-called jokes, it was all like a foreign language to Ryan and it made it harder for him to understand what Seth even saw in her in the first place. Sure, she was attractive, more so than most women you'd see walking down the street and she could be charming if she wanted to be but she was never very alluring to Ryan. 

  


"I really wish I could, Summer but I have exams coming up and I have to get all of this stuff down before then." And that was the truth. finishing law school was his main priority and Summer should understand that.

"You're not picking me up to study?" 

He thought she sounded sad but he could've been imagining that.

"Ryan....please? I'm not supposed to be carrying heavy stuff in my condition. C'mon, you're like my brother-in-law."

  


And there it was. The 'brother-in-law' card had just been pulled. It was only used when Summer needed something, otherwise she stuck with 'Chino' which was just so much more appropriate in her mind. Whatever the case, Ryan was only her brother-in-law when Summer was desperate and when called that he was subject to do anything she wanted. It was nearly impossible to resist. 

He rolled his eyes anyway.

  


"Alright. Where are you?"

***

  


Rounding the street corner, Ryan noticed Summer right away. She sat on a big box eating a bag of chips surrounded by large bags from noticeably distinguished stores at her feet. She waved as she saw his SUV pull up and stop beside her. 

  


"Took you long enough," she greeted as he stepped out of the car and walked to her side. 

"Lots of stuff," Ryan groaned looking at the pile of bags around Summer. 

"Start with the box," she said, standing up in order to let Ryan take it. 

  


After everything was loaded and both Ryan and Summer were securely buckled up in the front seats they started to drive off. All was quiet at first with only the sound of Summer crunching potato chips in between her teeth. She noticed Ryan looking at her from the corner of his eyes and stuck the bag infront of his face so he could enjoy the aroma of the salt and vinegar flavored snack. 

  


"Want some?" she asked.

"No thanks."

"Your loss." She continued eating them herself.

  


"I've never seen you eat chips," Ryan stated out of the blue. 

"What?"

"I've never seen you eat chips."

"I've eaten chips. Lots of times. I love chips. Not salt and vinegar specifically but I just felt like it today. They're pretty good."

  


"Had a craving?" Ryan chuckled. "You really are pregnant, arent you."

Summer continued munching on her chips as he spoke. 

"You don't look it though."

She shrugged. 

"But it's true what they say about pregnant women."

Summer looked at him curiously.

"You're glowing." He smiled.

  


'Gag me,' Summer thought, rolling her eyes. Luckily something caught her attention to distract her from whatever else Chino wanted to say. 

  


"It's Tod the Bod!" she exclaimed pointing out the window.

"Huh?" Ryan asked, taking his eyes off the road to see what she was pointing at. 

"Tod the Bod!" Summer repeated. "On the billboard!"

  


Ryan looked out the window long enough to see the billboard Summer was pointing at. It was a pretty huge picture of a shirtless model on the side of a building advertising some cologne.

"Who's that?"

"Tod, Marissa's boyfriend back in New York."

  


Ryan looked at Summer to see if she was kidding and when he saw she was not he stole another glance at the billboard to get a good look at this guy. He had spiky brown hair and an impossibly square jaw. His body was pretty lean yet defined, not buff and meaty like his...Ryan quickly stopped comparing himself to the poster boy down the road and tried to forget that just one of Tod's abs was bigger than his entire torso. Of course everything looked bigger and intimidating in a gigantic picture. 

  


Ryan's eyes were back on the road and Tod the Bod was firmly pushed to the back of his mind but Summer still had reason to snicker. Apparently she caught that little slip in composure/resolve on Ryan's part. 

  


"He's a model slash actor."

Ryan attempted to feign indifference. "That's nice."

"Oh stop acting like you don't care!" Summer teased. "I'll tell you anything you want to know about Marissa if you just ask."

  


There was a time when Summer would have to ask him about Marissa but that was back in high school when they were inseparable and Summer had little face time with her best pal. Things changed after they broke up in middle of college though and Ryan and Marissa saw little of each other throughout the remainder of school. Thankfully, Summer wasn't his only source of information on all things Marissa. Seth was friends with her too and his stories occasionally included her in them. Ryan knew just enough about her life these days without becoming psycho-stalker-ex and he suspected she knew just as much about him. But the prospect of Tod the Bod looming overhead merited further observation.

  


"Is that his full name?" Ryan asked slowly. "Tod the Bod?"

"Hello?! No, of course not. We just call him that on account of the great bod. Also, it rhymes with Tod. I don't know his last name actually. Something McLarry I think."

"Oh." And that was as long of a discussion about Marissa that Ryan wanted to partake in.

  


"I suspect a bit of jealously, Ryan."

"What?"

"Because Marissa dumped you and now she's with a totally hot babe."

"First of all Marissa didn't dump me. We broke up. Second of all, I am not jealous.... and he is so not a babe," he concluded under his breath.

Summer laughed. "You are jealous, I knew it! Marissa is going to have to hear this."

"Hey, I have nothing to be jealous about. Marissa has a boyfriend, good for her. I've got a great girlfriend. Bridget's great."

  


"Oh yeah, Bridget. She's like so good and sweet and perky?" Summer stated, mimicking the way Bridget spoke. "I like, also think she's great?"

"Would you stop making fun of her? I never made fun of you to Seth."

"Ooooh, that was harsh." Summer smirked, taking the insult in stride. She was a tough opponent to fight with mere words.

  


"Speaking of Seth," Ryan added. "As your husband shouldn't he be the one picking you up?"

"But you forget, Seth's in New York. He wouldn't come all the way here to pick me up."

"That's what you think." Ryan looked at Summer who was surprisingly staying silent as she looked out of the window at the passing Los Angeles Scenery. "You should call him," he went on.

  


Despite the fact that she did not want to talk about this and especially not with Ryan, she still continued the conversation by asking, "Why?"

"Because I know that he's miserable. And I know that between the two of you calling me I'm never going to get any studying done."

"So you talked to him?"

Ryan nodded. 

  


"What did he say?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible without letting Ryan see how desperately she wanted him to answer the question.

"Not much, which can never be good. That's how I know he's depressed."

"So he didn't actually tell you he was depressed..."

  


"Oh No, he did," Ryan corrected. "He's really upset, Summer. He's so lonely he's asked me to ship him Captain Oats."

Summer couldn't help but solemnly smirk at the idea of Seth speaking to his toy horse. The same toy she had refused to let Seth bring over to their apartment when they moved to New York after they were married. He was persistent at first but finally understood that compromise was a much more treasured asset to their new living conditions and agreed to leave the toy behind. He only really ever wanted it when Summer was away from him on a trip out of town.

"Well it's too late now," Summer whispered.

  


Ryan turned to look at her again before he spoke. Summer knew this but did not turn her face to meet his gaze. Ryan had the sort of penetrating glance that gave the impression he could see right you. She hated to think he could do that to her too.

"It's not my place to say anything, but you guys need to talk. Work this out. Especially now," he said gesturing to her stomach. "He misses you." 

****

  


Seth swung his legs over the nearly vacant king-size bed and sat straight up, pretending to be fully awake but his eyelids betrayed him. They were curtained down over his eyes, shielding them from the harsh light of night that would surely wake Seth just as another abrupt pounding on the door did just that. 

  


He was fully alert in an instant and took the opportunity to check the digital clock on the night stand. 3:22 am. Must be the pizza he ordered. Thinking about it further, he realized he hadn't ordered any pizza and that nothing was open at three in the morning anyway.

  


Another blunt knock at the door brought him to his feet and he was lazily stumbling down the hallway.

"I'm coming!" he shouted as he made his way through the dim apartment in his boxers and tight white tee. 

"Who is it?" he asked when he approached the door. He heard an equally groggy voice muffled through and even though he recognized it immediately, it was common sense to look through the peephole in New York City in the middle of the night. 

  


The small hole in the door revealed Marissa looking just as tired as he was even though her deposition was barely visible through the layers of clothing she wore. Her wavy hair was pulled back in a low pony ad tucked under a newsies cap while her neck was completely bundled in a long scarf that hung almost to her knees. And even though her eyes were shielded by sun glasses, Seth could tell that she was both annoyed and just as tired as he was.

  


"Hey Marissa," he exclaimed with shut eyes as he lay his head against the door, establishing it a fitting place to go back to sleep.

"Open the door, Seth!"

  


After unlocking all three locks, Seth did as he was told and opened the door. "Marissa. Hey. There's this thing going around called sleep, you might want to--" 

  


Before he could continue two arms wrapped around his waist and he opened his eyes wide enough to see that Marissa was still standing at the door frame, hands on hips. Seth looked down to see Summer clinging unto him for dear life.

  


"Summer?" He was fully awake now and could feel the tears she was producing dampen the front of his t-shirt. "Summer, what are you doing here?" The relief in his voice would not be hidden by the surprise and joy he felt upon seeing her. 

"I miss you," she wept, although Seth couldn't be sure that was exactly what she said since she was currently using his t-shirt as a Kleenex.

  


"She woke me up about a half an hour ago," Marissa stated. "Came crying to my door saying something about flying all the way over here and needing to see you. The next time you two decide to kiss and make up, please keep me out of it. Do you know how hard it is to catch a cab in Soho at three in the morning?"

"Not very hard at all?" Seth answered.

  


That was true. It was never hard stopping down a taxi, especially for Marissa. "The point is," she went on, "try and stay together this time. She's supposed to be keeping her stress levels to a minimum."

  


Seth grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her away from him so he could get a good look at her. She was barely crying anymore but her eyes were still red and puffy, remorse and sadness were etched into her desperate features as she batted away the last few tears that threatened to fall. A small smile appeared on Seth's face as his eyes scanned every inch of her, not believing that she was actually standing in front of him. They finally stopped at her midsection where a small yet noticeable bump peeked above her lowrise jeans.

  


"Hey," he stated in awe. "Check it out. You're showing," he said, pointing to her stomach. 

  


Summer's face recoiled in horror before she started weeping again, even louder than before. 

  


"Real smooth, Seth," Marissa said. "I'm going back home."

  


"Say hi to Tod the Bod for me!" Seth exclaimed before Marissa shut the door behind her.

He hugged Summer and tried to rubbed her heaving back. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. The Talk

  


Seth's eyes hadn't closed since Summer appeared at his door and reappeared into his life. He was no longer tired but Summer was from her six hour flight. She slept at his side now, his arm holding her close to him as her right leg gripped his and her arm wrapped over his chest. He lay wide awake beside her. 

  


There came a point where Seth began to accept the fact that he'd never feel Summer by his side again. Never feel her chest rise and fall with every lethargic breath or see her eyelids twitch slightly in middle of a dream. As unmanly as it made him sound he was going to miss cuddling with her, because even though she argued that she hated cuddling and that it was uncomfortable and cumbersome, Seth always found himself waking up in an embrace, with either her arms inexplicably wrapped around him or the other way around. And her snoring. He was going to miss that too, even though Summer rebutted that fact whenever it was brought up, Seth loved her snoring. It's pleasant rhythm helped him sleep.

She wasn't snoring now though, which didn't really matter because Seth didn't want to sleep. He was happily awake and feeling all the things he had missed out on for such a long time. 

  


Unfortunately, her peaceful sleep was disturbed when a siren went off outside in an impossibly loud manner. She stirred into awareness. 

  


"Seth?" she asked as soon as her eyes were open. It took her a moment to remember the events of last night. 

"I'm here," he answered. His mouth was dry and his tone of voice was a bit horse. 

"What time is it?"

He turned his head to see the clock. "Almost seven."

  


"Wow," Summer said as she lay her head back down on his shoulder. "I haven't slept that long since..."

"Is it cuz you didn't have me to snuggle next to at night?"

Summer smirked. "No. I just can't seem to get comfortable anymore."

"I'll ask you to reconsider the snuggling next to me theory."

"Marissa says it's normal not to be able to get a full night's sleep. And its also normal to be really sleepy. Which is really not fair if you think about it."

"Quite the paradoxical predicament." 

  


He shifted positions to lay on his side so look at Summer. "I couldn't sleep when you were gone either." Summer turned her head to look at him as well. Her heart practically melted whenever Seth looked into her eyes the way he was doing now. It had a hold on her that she was never able to shake and she never wanted to. 

"I missed you," she sated bluntly. "That night I left... I didnt mean any of the things I said."

Summer was never quick to admit what she was feeling so this declaration, though small, made his heart soar. 

"Hey," he cut her off. "Neither of us meant anything we said. Forget about it, it's in the past." His gaze was unfaltering. 

"We've got bigger things to dwell on." His fingers skimmed the rim of her sweater and slipped beneath it, grazing her stomach.

"Are you calling me big?" she asked jokingly, her eyebrows dipping in mock anger. 

"You're getting there."

Summer's mouth fell open and despite relishing Seth's touch, she swiftly shooed his hand away from her stomach and slapped his upper arm.

"I'm kidding!" he exclaimed. "You're beautiful!"

"Damn straight."

  


"Our baby's gonna beautiful too."

"So long as it looks like me." 

"Hey, I happen to be beautiful too. Have you seen my eyelashes? They're soft and long and almost feather-like and that's _without_ mascara because with it I can......I don't know what they'd look like with mascara cuz that stuff's not meant for guys. 'Specially macho ones like me," he finished quickly.

"You do have nice eyelashes, I'll give you that."

"So as long as it's got your looks and my eyelashes and quick wit, this should be the perfect kid."

  


This dawned on Summer and she realized that they actually had created a life together. 

"I can't believe we're having a kid."

"Me neither. I can't believe I'm going to be a dad."

"Yeah, I can't picture you as one."

"What?!"

"I do not qualify looking after Captain Oats as very dad-like."

"Well at least I looked after something! You've never even, like, seen a baby in the flash!"

"Whatever. I'm going to be a great mom!"

  


Seth rolled his eyes. Summer hadn't been in the company of a small child in....ever. It was as if she knew ahead of time where children would be and purposely avoided those areas. Well maybe not purposely but definitely subconsciously. Seth on the other hand, loved kids, though that love was nearly always one sided. And even though the kids in his class seemed not to appreciate him much he knew it was just because most kids hated their teachers. At least he hoped that was the case.

  


"Maybe we should babysit some kids to prepare us for the trials and tribulations ahead. Do we know anybody with kids?" Silence filled the room as the couple racked their brain. "I guess not."

"We dont need to babysit anybody. We'll just hire a really good nanny to handle all the 'trials and tribulations.'"

  


"We are not going to let some other person raise our kid. And we still need to learn other stuff like, baby's cry and spit up and poop constantly. Have you ever changed a diaper before?"

"Yeah, course."

"Summer."

"Okay, no. But how hard could it be?"

"I think my mom said it took her a month to learn."

"Well if she already knows how to do it..."

"We'll call her whenever the baby pooped itself," Seth said, continuing Summer's sentence.

"Yeah."

"I like the way you think. That's why I love you."

"I love you too," she stated seriously.

  


"Great, now that that's out of the way, I'm going to get breakfast."

"Wait!" Seth took her hand. "Making up is always fun but wouldn't it be more fun to just take it all the way. You know, really make up?"

"Are you talking about sex?"

"Since you bring it up..."

"I'm not going to have you poking the baby."

She stood, leaving Seth laying on the bed as he watched her leave the room.

"Don't you want our child to have dimples?!" he called after her.

*****


	6. The Kick and The Bod

Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you guys are okay with original characters. This one's got a new one but I hope he isnt too annoying. Tell me what you think.

***

  


Seth studied the bite-size food in his hand and observed the way it melted onto the tips of his fingers. He wasn't going to eat it right away though because as much as he loved food, this particular snack begged to be studied longer than others. A creation made by his own wife who was thoroughly enjoying it beside him on the couch, absentmindedly eating it as they watched a movie on tv. To the average eye, the snack may have seemed repulsive and would've been greeted by an immediate turn of the stomach, but Seth decided to give it a fair chance among the rest of the food groups.

  


"I can't believe you'd eat this," he said before taking a hearty bite of the chicken wing dipped in milk chocolate and garnished with bits of popcorn. "More to the point though, is that I can't believe I like it."

Summer nodded and dipped the piece of chicken into the fondu pot of melted chocolate. "It's the popcorn that really makes a difference," she said before sprinkling on the popped kernels.

  


"You know, if this whole make-up thing doesn't work out you can always just market this stuff," he spoke seriously. "Since I kind of came up with the idea to distribute it, I think it's only fair to give credit where credit is due. You can call it something like Summeth cuz I know how much you like to combine names."

Summer gasped.

"Okay, I know I came up with Chrismukka and so technically I like to combine names to but at least that's clever, I mean, c'mon, you came up with Summarissa which, I must say, doesn't have a nice ring to it the way Summeth does."

"Seth!"

  


"What?" he asked, turning his head. 

"It kicked me!"

"What did?"

"The baby!" she grabbed his hand and placed it on her ever burgeoning stomach. 

"It kicked you?" Seth asked, confused.

"That little bastard kicked me!"

"That's motherly of you." 

  


His palm rested on her stomach for a couple of minutes before either of them spoke, both holding their breaths in anticipation of the next kick. 

"Why'd it stop?" Seth asked after a long while of no response.

"Must've sensed your presence. You scared it away."

  


Seth's hand worked like his mind in the same way that neither of them could stay focused or still. After simply touching her stomach for a long time he began tapping it, rubbing it as if it was a genie's lamp, rapping the tips of his fingers on it gently and finally drumming slightly with both hands and stopping in mid air as if he was expecting the baby to complete the beat for him.

  


Before he could start another set on the bongo that was Summer's stomach, there was a knock at door which seemed like it would remain unanswered since neither Seth nor Summer stood up to get it.

  


"Aren't you going to get that?" she finally asked.

"And risk the baby kicking while I do? I don't think so."

"It's probably Marissa. She said she was coming by today." Another moment passed. "Well one of us is going to have to get it." Summer spoke above the persistent knocking. 

They stared at each other blankly for another moment before standing up in unison and heading for the door together, Seth's hand firmly in place.

  


"Marissa!" Summer exclaimed when she found her at the other end of the door. Both friends hugged tightly, smothering Seth's hand in the process. Tod, Marissa's boyfriend, stood behind her in what had to be a perfected pose that radiated the feeling of being laid back, careless, and completely aware of your own hotness. 

  


"Hi Tod," Summer said in small voice that didn't sound like her own. She couldn't help but smile in his presence. The same way Seth couldn't help but roll his eyes at the pitiful display of school-girl admiration. 

"Hey Summer." His deep, masculine voice generated goosbumps on her forearms. 

  


They all entered the apartment and gathered in the livingroom when Tod spoke again. 

"You're pregnant."

'No shit, Sherlock,' Seth thought. Though he'd never actually say that to Tod for fear of being stifled by his incessant beauty.

"Yeah," Marissa piped up. "Remember? I told you."

"Right right right." His fingers laced through the highlighted hair on his temple and whisked it back much the same way a woman would sweep her hair over her shoulder in a flirtatious manner. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"That would be me, the owner of this hand," Seth said, lifting only one finger off the hand that was glued to Summer.

  


"Someone's acting a little possessive," Marissa observed.

"My hand is staying put until I feel the baby kick. I missed it the first time."

"The baby kicked?! she squealed.

"Yeah, like a second ago."

"That's awesome!" she continued in her squealing rampage. Once Marissa started squealing it was hard to get her to stop, especially if the squealing derived from all things 'baby.' "It makes sense- you're supposed to be feeling movement in the fifth month."

"Yes but am I supposed to be this huge?"

"Summer, you are not huge! You look incredible. Seth, havent you been telling her she's beautiful?"

"Only every waking moment of my days," he answered quickly. 

"See?!"

"Well, none of my clothes fit anymore so you can take whatever you want." Summer knew this was the reason Marissa had stopped by in the first place. They had talked about it over the phone and Summer felt it was only fair that her great clothes be put to good use, and who better to parade them around than Marissa?

  


"Thanks Sum!" Marissa kissed her cheek. "I'll only be a minute," she said kissing Tod's cheek. And not wanting to leave Seth out, she kissed his cheek as well before sprinting down the hall to the bedroom.

  


The rest of them took a seat in the livingroom. Seth spoke first.

  


"Marissa seems happy."

"We had sex before we came here," Tod said by way of explanation. He was a blunt man, kind of like Summer only more so. She and Seth were already used to his unintentionally candid utterances and so neither of them batted an eye whenever he spoke.

  


"I'm glad your pregnant," he continued. "Imagine if you weren't. That'd be a lot of weight you put on."

Summer laughed uneasily. Tact was also an attribute he was lacking.

  


"So," Seth said, trying to change the subject. "Marissa's really into all of this baby stuff, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Seems like she's just itching to have a lil' bundle of joy of her own."

"Bundle of joy?"

"Baby."

"Oh," Tod exhaled. "No way. Babies are totally high maintenance. I mean, you constantly need to feed them and change them and they cry, like, all the time! I say, the only reason a person should cry is for an audition."

  


"Riiiiight," Seth said, dragging out the word. He tried to say as little as possible around Tod. Mostly so as not to confuse him but also because he had always been taught that if you have nothing nice to say you shouldn't say anything at all. His face betrayed his words, though. His eyebrows scrunched together and his eyes got squinty and Summer knew exactly what Seth was thinking. He wondered if Tod ever really heard himself speak. That and how could Marissa- or anybody for that matter- be in a relationship with him, let alone enjoy his company.

Summer enjoyed it, though. Tod was a shiny, pretty object. He was terribly fun to look at.

  


while she did just that Seth held out the plate of chicken wings and the bucket of popcorn from the coffee table. "Summeth?" he asked, offering some to Tod.

"No thanks. I don't do...food."

"Right. Forgot. Model."

Tod nodded.

"You're awfully quiet, Dear," Seth said turning to Summer. "Grace us with some of your wonderful intelligence....please?" He nudged her out of her trance over the Golden boy. He had never looked sexier to Summer. Every which way he turned his face looked like a magazine ad waiting to happen. 

  


"You look hot," she finally said. "Don't you want to make yourself more comfortable?"

  


This mere suggestion piqued a well rooted theory in Tod's mind that the human body was best kept exposed in it's natural state. 

"I am hot." He suddenly grew increasingly uncomfortable in his loose gray shirt. His arms flew over his shoulders and pulled on the fabric, stopping briefly to ask if they minded. As if the unveiling of his god-like figure would blind them or something. Before Seth could protest Summer eagerly stated that she didn't mind at all. And so the shirt was tossed to the side of the recliner he sat on and The Bod had taken over.

  


"Have you been working out?" Summer asked, her eyes devouring the tasty feast in front of her. 

"Just a bit for the commercial."

"You're shooting a commercial?"

  


Suddenly Marissa scurried into the room with armloads of clothes towering all the way to her face. "Guess what," she began, excitedly. "We're doing a commercial!"

"We?" Summer and Seth said simultaneously. 

"Summer, you know how you wanted to advertise?" she asked, referring to their business. "Well, I know someone who knows someone who got me a great deal for a commercial. It'll be great and totally classy and sexy and awesome. We're shooting it at the end of the week and it'll be on TV really quick."

Summer began to speak but Marissa broke her off quickly. "I know I made this decision without you but I think it's for the best and I didn't want to stress you and we're saving a lot of money cuz I'm going to be in it and Tod's doing it for free too."

  


"Oh," Summer said after some hesitation. "Sounds like a great opportunity."

"It's going to be great exposure for my career," Tod stated, grinning from ear to ear. His teeth sparkled and his aqua eyes glimmered and Summer suddenly forgot that she wasn't going to star in a commercial that would be seen twenty times a day with a gorgeous guy on her arm. Seth just knew that was exactly what she was thinking before his blinding smile wiped that thought away.

  


As if sensing Seth's repulsion, the phone began ringing, beckoning him to answer it. He nearly jumped to get it when he remembered his hand's position and it's determination to stay in place.

"Uh, Summer, can you come get the phone with me?"

"Get it yourself," she answered dismissively. 

"I can't," he whined. His hand slipped as far as it would go without leaving her stomach as he took a few steps towards the kitchen where the phone was. "I don't want to miss it again."

"Don't worry buddy," Tod said. "I'll keep an eye on her."

  


The phone was on it's fourth ring and Seth feared it was it's last. It was his only chance to get away before the flexing of Tod's muscles poked one of his eyes out. He didn't even care if the person on the other line would try to sell him door knobs, he was determined to talk to him so long as it was a distraction. 

Seth let his hand slip off completely with great reluctance and he leaped into the kitchen, grabbing the phone off the hook and greeting the other person on the line enthusiastically, trying to ignore the fact that Tod now had his hand on his wife's stomach.

  


"You okay?" Ryan said when he heard the urgency in Seth's voice.

"Ryan!" Seth exclaimed. "You do not know how happy I am you called!"

"What's up?"

"Oh nothing, just that this completely insipid supermodel is at my house and he's hitting on Summer right now and the worst part is I think that's exactly what she wants! I mean, is it weird that my pregnant wife is totally into him? I know he's good looking but I was sitting right there! There is a pool of drool forming at her feet, Ryan. Drool. What a turd."

"Tod the Bod?"

"You heard of him? Please don't tell me he's famous."

"Summer told me about him."

"Of course she did. What else would she talk about? She has the hots for him. How am I supposed to compare to a guy like that when I can't even distract her from the flash his smile gives off- he makes me feel inadequate. Omigawd, is she feeling his bicep? She's feeling his bicep," Seth concluded, looking into the livingroom.

"It's probably just hormones or something." Ryan didn't know what he was talking about but he was willing to try anything to stop Seth from rambling at rapid speed. 

"Yeah, probably. Joke's on her anyway. Tod doesn't like kids, and apparently he doesn't care much for food either."

Ryan stayed silent on the phone, unsure of what else to say which gave leeway for Seth to continue talking. "I honestly have no idea what Marissa is doing with a guy like that."

"Marissa's there?" he figured she would be since Tod was already there but he was unwilling to bring her up in conversation. Not until Seth did.

"Yeah, destroying our closet. Wanna speak to her?

  


"Uhh, no I really gotta go actually."

"Oh." Seth wasn't going to touch that topic and he already regretted even brining Marissa up. Ryan would get disturbingly quiet when his ex was mention, more quiet than usual."Well thanks for calling."

"Wait, I called cuz your mom wanted to talk to you. I'll go get her."

  


As Seth waited to hear his mom's voice, he heard Summer's coming from the livingroom. She was saying things like "your abs are really hard," and "How do you get your hair so shiny?" It inspired him to knock on his own stomach and check out the sheen of his hair reflected off the toaster.

  


"Seth?" 

"Hi mom," he said, hearing her voice suddenly on the other end.

"Hi honey. How is everything?"

"Splendid."

"Good. I hope you don't mind but I told your grandfather about the baby."

Seth completely forgot about telling his grandfather so he was happy his mother did it before the kid was born. "It's cool."

"He was very excited about the news."

"He was?"

"Yes. In fact he's planning on throwing you and Summer a party."

"A party? That's nice of him but tell him he doesn't have to."

"The invitations have already gone out," she said cautiously, knowing that Seth wasn't too fond of the gala events thrown in Newport. Parties by his grandfather were known to be some of the most extravagant the town had seen.

  


Which was one of the reasons Seth loathed them. "What? Why didn't we know anything about this?"

"He wanted it to be a surprise but I thought you'd want to know about something like this."

"Thanks but really we can't. I've still got school and Summer.... well Summer doesnt like big parties. You know her. She's a real loner."

"School lets out for summer in a month. He planned it especially for you and Summer to be here in Newport. Plus I want to see you two again," she continued enthusiastically. "There is lots of wisdom I need to share as a parent, you know."

  


Seth heard the joy in his mother's voice and thought about all the things he could probably persuade her to do for the baby, like the many changing of diapers he and Summer had already discussed as a prime grandmother duty. And in actuality, Summer loved parties. She loved Caleb Nichol parties and she loved parties thrown in her honor. And then there was the disappointment his grandfather would surely feel if he neglected to appear at his own party.

  


"I'll talk to Summer about it." he concluded after some hesitation.

"Thank you. I gotta run. Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

"Love you."

"Love you."

He hung up the phone and walked back into the livingroom where Marissa had now joined Tod in the very touchy-feely sport of feeling for baby kicks.

  


"Hey, your kid's strong, Seth," 

Seth looked at Tod incredulously trying to comprehend the words that had just come from his bee-stung lips. 

"What?"

"Yeah, I felt him kick like twice. Strong little boy. Or girl. Whichever."

"You felt it?"

"Seth, calm down," Marissa said, sensing the rising distress in his veins. "It wasn't that special."

"You felt it too?"

Marissa could not escape Seth's accusing eyes. "I didn't mean to," she apologized.

"That makes me feel so much better."

"Aww, Seth," Summer pouted. "If you wanna feel it so bad I could kick you."

"As exciting as that sounds, I'll pass."

  


He approached the couch somberly and sat beside Summer, resuming his hand's previous position on her stomach which was now the prime spot for Tod and Marissa's hands. "All I wanted was to feel one kick," he announced dejectedly. "It's just one of those--" He was interrupted by a collective gasp made by everyone else in the room as their hands jumped slightly. They all smiled broadly and looked at Seth waiting to see him do the same. "What?" he asked.

  


"Nothing," they answered together.


	7. The Girlfriends

Sorry this is short but I wanted to post something already. Another update coming soon.

  


"You want a beer?"

  


Ryan turned his head in the direction Bridget's voice was coming from and shrugged. She was standing in front of his fridge and looking through it's few contents for something to eat. "Okay," he added.

  


Beer would be nice. If he had beer it would mean that he had something to do. All day long he had been sitting on the edge of his bed watching Sunday afternoon TV. And Bridget was there too. Exams were over, the day was beautiful and his girlfriend was at his disposal yet he was still unbelievably bored. He grabbed the remote control and changed the channel without getting his hopes up because he knew there was never anything good on TV in middle of the day. He grew nostalgic of the days when he would sit around the pool house and listen to Seth speak about anything without limit. At least that was semi entertaining. This afternoon was not.

  


"Here," Bridget said, handing Ryan the bottle as she sat beside him on the bed. He smiled politely and continued switching the channels. "I'm bored?" She scooched over to be as close as possible to him and took the opportunity to rub up against him, letting her hand creep its way up the front of his t-shirt. "Lets do something?" 

  


Ryan was not in the mood of 'doing something.' It seemed all Bridget ever wanted to do was shove her tongue down his throat and unzip his pants whenever things were a little slow. In Ryan's mind, however, there were other things to do to fill the void, like talk for example. Talking was fun... occasionally. Bridget seemed to think it was boring. 

  


"When you want him to notice you..."

  


Ryan's attention was immediately drawn to the voice he had just heard on TV. He did not have to think or ponder or guess because he knew that voice anywhere. Her voice. She was on the TV wearing an evening gown and looking absolutely stunning and his mind went blank with only the sensation of Bridget chewing on his earlobe to distract him from Marissa.

  


"When you want him to want you back..."

  


Her face filled the screen and her wide eyes unwavering, staring directly at him as if they had never strayed. Ryan stared back forgetting that there was even a TV. She was more beautiful than he remembered. Trying to wriggle his way out of Bridget's grasp brought him back to reality and to the realization that it was a commercial for Summarissa and that she wasn't the only one in it. A person who looked very much like Tod the Bod was by her side wrapping his arms around her and acting completely mesmerized by her beauty. It wasn't a very tough acting gig.

  


Before Ryan had a chance to exhale the breath that was lodged in his throat the commercial was over and he could feel the eyes of his ever present girlfriend on him, glaring.

  


"What?"

  


"I called your name like five times?" she declared. "You just kept staring at the TV like you saw a ghost or something?"

He found that a little hard to believe. There was no way he could just black out by seeing Marissa's face on TV. 

"Sorry," was all he could manage to say.

No way she could capture his attention like that after all of these years.

****

  



	8. The present

"You know why this party is going to totally rock?" Summer asked aloud as Seth slung one of her carry-on bags over his shoulder, careful not to break his back in the process. She didn't wait for him to answer. "Because it's dedicated to me."

"I'm pretty sure that technically it's for the baby," he said, unintentionally squashing her glee. "But yeah, I guess you could pretend it's for you."

  


Their plane had arrived in California a few minutes ago and they already had begun arguing about the reason for their travels. It hadn't taken much to convince Summer to make the trip across the country. All Seth had to do was mention a party thrown by his grandfather and she booked the plain tickets within a minute. Although a plane ride was strongly recommended against for Summer she insisted that all would be well even if that meant consistent trips to the plane's bathroom.

  


"Same diff. When are your parents going to get here?"

"They said they'd meet us here-" he stopped mid sentence to wave his free hand above his head at the sight of his parents making their way down the airport's baggage claim. "They're here!" he exclaimed. 

  


Seth's outstretched arms were squarely missed by both of his parents who chose embrace Summer warmly instead. He pretended not to care about receiving their leftover hugs.

  


"Well look at you!" Sandy stated, examining Summer. Kirsten and Sandy had not seen her in a few months and with time came a completely new appearance they could only expect but still hadn't anticipated. She definitely looked all of her six months pregnant. 

  


Summer's instinct was to blush but the crimson that rose to her cheeks only accentuated the beauty that could only be brought on by the prospects of new motherhood.

"You look great," Kirsten said, noticing the uneasiness Sandy's comment had generated. "The car's right outside."

  


Once in the car it seemed Mr. and Mrs. Cohen couldn't do anything but turn to the back seat and interrogate the parents-to-be with any and every question that came to mind. The other Mr. and Mrs. Cohen had no choice but to endure them. 

  


"So is it a girl or boy?" Sandy asked abruptly. 

Seth and Summer shrugged. 

"You didn't find out yet?" 

They shook their heads.

"Are you going to find out?"

They shook their heads again. Not satisfied with the response, Kirsten and Sandy's stares lingered long enough to cross Seth and Summer's comfort zones.

"We'll find out when it's born?" Summer tried.

  


"You have to find out," Kirsten continued, attempting to keep her eyes on the road. "You have to find out so you know what color to paint the nursery." 

Neither Seth nor summer had given any thought to a nursery. 

"We don't want to know, Mom. We still believe in a little something called the element of surprise."

"You know what that means," Sandy said. "If we were to buy any baby clothes they'd all be green or yellow. Neutral colors. Ugly colors."

"He has a point," Summer agreed. 

  


"Have you picked out any names yet?"

"I have a few in mind," Summer declared before running off her list. "Heather, Brook, Tori, Tiffany, Ashley, Amber, Britney or Kelly are all really cute."

"Forget it, we are not naming our kid after the entire female cast of 90210," Seth argued. "Picking the right name is the most essential part of the baby making process." He continued despite everyone's raised eyebrows. "It's got to have culture behind it. Some Flavor." 

"Okay, so what did you have in mind?"

"Something along the lines of Eduardo or Emilio or Ricardo- I'm definitely steering towards the 'o' sound."

"Ricardo?" Kirsten echoed.

"It's Rrrricardo, Mom, you gotta roll the tongue."

"There's no way we're having a kid named Ricardo Cohen." Summer protested.

"Don't bash the name, honey."

"No, it'll be little Ricardo who gets his face bashed in at the playground."

  


"Names arent that important," Sandy intervened quickly trying to prevent a potential squabble. "You don't even know the sex yet. Besides Sandy is a great name for a boy or a girl."

  


"We'll find out tomorrow at the appointment."

Even though Summer was speaking to Seth his parents took it as an opportunity to continue the stream of inquries. 

"You guys have an appointment tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"How'd you find a doctor here so quickly?"

"I'm just sticking with the one I went to when I found out I was pregnant."

"Werent you in New York then?"

  


Summer and Seth looked at each other falling silent before awkwardly trying to stumble through a good enough lie to put an end to any follow up questions. Sandy and Kirsten still knew nothing about their separation a few months back and Seth and Summer telepathically understood that it was best to keep that bit of information under wraps. 

  


"I was over here, actually," Summer answered simply. It wasn't a lie but still ambiguous enough to derail from the truth.

"We were here together," Seth added quickly. 

"Why didn't you tell us when you were in town?"

"It was only a short while."

"What were you doing here?"

  


It seemed their plan to avoid further questioning had failed horribly.

"Comic convention."

'Great answer, Cohen,' Summer thought as she examined his parent's expressions. They had morphed from mere curiosity to blatant suspicion and she could not blame them. Summer would never be caught dead at a comic convention.

"Seth's just being silly." She plastered a cheery smile on her face and slapped his knee playfully. "We came for the weekend. It's not that we didn't want to see you it's just that we wanted some time to ourselves."

  


The details were a little sketchy and the answer didn't patch up as many holes as it had punctured but it was good enough to end the questions. In fact, Sandy changed the subject all together. 

  


"We're almost there, Kirsten. Better tell them about the present."

"What present?" They asked in simultaneously.

"We wanted to get you something for the baby shower."

"I told you it was a baby shower!" Summer spat out triumphantly before the prospects of a present from Seth's parents dawned on her completely. She ignored Seth's eye roll and refocused all of her attention on what Kirsten had to say.

  


"We never really gave you a wedding present let alone a wedding ," she began. "And it just seems like the perfect time for this now."

"We're here!" Sandy announced, leaving the car as soon as it stopped moving. Both Summer and Seth looked out the window and then back at Kirsten curiously, hoping she'd explain further but she simply smiled and stepped out of the car as well. Seth and Summer quickly followed suit.

  


"What's this?" Seth asked as he helped Summer along the stone path leading to the front door of a house.

"Your present."

  


There was no box with a big bow on it for them to open, just a lawn and a mailbox and a house. Not a mansion like the ones littering Newport but a house. It was quaint and compact and perfect.

  


"You got us a house?" Summer whispered incredulously.

"We know you two have set up your lives in New York already and we don't expect you to move back here."

"But you'll always have a place here if you need one," Sandy continued.

"Call it your house in the east coast house if you want," Kirsten joked.

  


"We can't accept this."

"This is no time to be proud," Sandy said, smacking his son's shoulder. Summer agreed with a discreet head nod and Seth smirked. He linked his hand into hers as they looked at their new house.

  



	9. The Hearts

Hey. Sorry I havent updated in a while but I just havent had access to a working computer. I'm totallly intent on finishing this though and have the rest of the story planned out so please stick in there! Thanks to all who are still reading.   
  


* * *

  
Seth had a lot on his mind as he walked through the streets of downtown LA. He did not know what he was doing there, only that he wanted to be away from his parents' house at the moment and see if he could avoid the final preparations for the party his backyard was undergoing. Light colored tables and chairs littered the outside of the house and ridiculously grand decorations were being put up by people his grandfather had hired. Worst of all, Julie Cooper was there orchestrating the entire thing. And orchestrating was the perfect word too because all Julie did was raise her arms and point much like a maestro did at a concert hall. Summer was attached to Julie's hip looking on by the time Seth left. He needed a break.  
  
So much had happened in the last 24 hours that he needed to think it through and actually process it all. He was experimenting with a new method of not talking for a while and the best place to practice was on the street. Only crazy people talked to themselves on the street and he was certainly not crazy. Just confused. And it wasn't as if he didn't have anything to say because he did.  
  
That afternoon when he and Summer returned from the appointment his parents asked whether it was a boy or girl, but they didn't have the answer for that. They were asking the wrong question. He remembered the morning at the doctor very well with all of the details intact. He was still in a surreal state.  
  
He remembered the way the slimy stuff on Summer's belly felt. He had a strong desire to touch it after the doctor applied it and did once she left the room. Summer shooed his hand away, exclaiming how gross he was with a simple "Ew!" utterance but he felt it anyway. It was slimy in between his fingers. He remembered the picture that came up on the screen and being utterly confused by it. He looked at Summer and she looked a little lost herself, squinting as if that would morph the grainy footage of indistinguishable parts into a video of a bouncing baby. Even the doctor looked sort of confused until her expression changed and she seemed awestruck. And then she said she heard two heartbeats and Seth's own heart was swallowed by fear because his mind automatically thought of some kind of comic book villain; the Cohen Monster with two hearts! And as ridiculous as it was to him now, it was the only thing he could think of then; a superhuman birth defect. And then, as if in slow motion, the doctor said something about having twins. Seth didn't remember much after that. On the car ride home Summer said he blacked out. How typical of him to do that, he thought.  
  
He stopped walking for a moment, looking beside him and realizing where his nomadic travels had taken him. He stood at the front door of one of his oldest friend's home. Suddenly he felt the urge to talk.  
  
"Seth!" Anna exclaimed when she swung open the door to her apartment. She wrapped her arms around his still shoulders and squeezed him into a genuinely happy embrace.  
  
"Hey Anna," he managed to say with the air his lungs would let out from time to time. He never remembered her being this strong.  
  
"What are you doing here?!"  
  
She finally stood back, getting the chance to look at him. "I'm here for the--"  
  
"The party, of course!" Anna interrupted him. She took his hand and led him through her place. They were already in her living room before he had a chance to say anything else.  
  
"You know about the party?" Without breaking stride she pulled out an envelope from under a stack of books on a table and handed it to him. He opened it as they sat on the couch and read the contents of it carefully, for the first time. It stated that Anna Stern was cordially invited to celebrate the upcoming birth of Caleb Nichol's grandchild.  
  
Anna scanned him over as he read silently. "What's the matter, is my invitation a mistake?"  
  
Seth looked up quickly. "No, of course not. It's just that I didn't write these. I didn't even see the guest list and I guess I was expecting it to be all of grandfather's closest colleagues and coworkers."  
  
"Congratulations, by the way."  
  
"Thanks," he smirked. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Things have been pretty hectic these last few months."  
  
"You don't have to apologize, Seth. I'm not mad." She smiled and Seth instantly knew that was true. Her smiled always reassured of him of a lot of things and it was probably one of the reasons he showed up at her place in the first place. She may have looked a little different, what with the black hair now but she was still the same old Anna he knew back in high school. He stared at her until he realized he was actually staring at her.  
  
"You know, I shouldn't have just come here unannounced like this, I'm sorry," he blurted out. "You're probably busy."  
  
"Nope, not busy." She reached over and pinched his shoulder. "What's going on?" she giggled slightly.  
  
"Nothing," he replied. "Just wanted to catch up with my former girlfriend."  
  
"Ah yes, my short-lived stint as your devoted girlfriend naturally comes to mind amidst these hectic months you speak of, not to mention the imminent party your grandfather is throwing for you and all of Newport." He snickered.  
  
"What's going on," she said seriously.  
  
Seth took a deep breath before speaking. "Do you ever feel scared about something but you have to act not scared in order keep other people from being just as scared as you're feeling?" Anna looked at him blankly. Seth sighed and tried to come up with another way of putting it before Anna interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"You're scared because you're having a baby and you don't want to let it on because it'll scare Summer too."  
  
"You're good."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with being scared, Seth."  
  
"Did I mention we're having twins?"  
  
Anna's face brightened an octave. "Wow," she whispered. "That's huge news!"  
  
"Hence the huge scariness involved." Seth replied.  
  
"How did your parents react when you told them?"  
  
"They didn't.... on account that they don't know. We haven't told anybody yet."  
  
"I feel special" Seth smiled.  
  
"It's okay to be scared," she said, getting back on topic.  
  
"Is it? Because I am totally freaking out and if I start freaking out then Summer will start freaking out and that may signal the end of the world as we know it."  
  
"She's probably already freaking it out."  
  
"Well if she is, she didn't show it."  
  
"Did you show it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you see where I'm getting at or do I have to explain further?"  
  
"It's not just that," Seth went on. "It just still hasn't hit me yet. It feels weird to be more scared than happy, you know? I feel bad- like I'm failing my kids before they're even born."  
  
Anna shook her head. "I think that's a perfectly normal thing to feel. I hear parents never stop being scared."  
  
"That's a relief."  
  
"Kids are a big change but you're not doing it alone, are you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You should talk to Summer. Vent out your feelings. Share a laugh or a cry or whatever it is you do. It'll probably help a lot more than talking to me."  
  
Seth smiled again, feeling a little less lost then when he'd stepped in. "You have helped. Thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Now I know who to send my kids to if they ever need advice I'm too lazy to give."  
  
"Aww," Anna said, smiling. "'You're kids.' They're gonna be so cute."  
  
"If they' look like Summer. Otherwise...notsomuch."  
  
"Yeah but if they turned out like Summer could you imagine what their first word would be?"  
  
Seth and Anna looked at each other and answered the question simultaneously. "Ewww!" They laughed until there was no more laughing left to do.  
  
"I should get going," Seth announced. "Thanks again Anna."  
  
"Any time."  
  
"I'll see you at the party?"  
  
"Of course." 


End file.
